A Sort of Homecoming
by AthenaScarlet
Summary: A pirate convinced Emma to take a memory-restoring potion. Now all she has to do is get to Storybrooke - with Hook in the passenger seat.
1. Chapter 1

He recognized the hallway. The walls were the same, the door was the same, but following Emma to her apartment made it feel so different.

She hadn't said much since she picked him up from the police station. She trusted him and took the potion he offered, she remembered him, and yet she still seemed so far from him. But Hook didn't want to push, assuming she was trying to process so much of what she missed the past year and what she would be facing next.

As she put her key in the door, a light flickered in her eyes and a sheepish look crept across her face. "Uh...sorry about earlier," she said, gesturing to the space in front of her door.

"No need," he said, a smirk on his face. "It was bad form and I'm nothing if not a gentleman."

Emma rolled her eyes at him - he didn't realize how much he missed that - and led him into the apartment. She shrugged off her red coat and threw it over the back of a chair. "I need a drink," she said, kicking her shoes off on the way to the kitchen. "Take off your pirate coat and have one with me."

"You don't have to tell me twice, love," he said.

But instead of handing him a drink, Emma just stood there staring at her bottles of rum. Bottles and bottles of rum.

"Quite the collection you have there, Swan. It would make any pirate jealous."

She just kept staring at them. "After Henry was born, I discovered I loved rum. Never really cared for the stuff and then…" Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "I guess I have to thank Regina for that."

She gave him a sad smile, nearly breaking his heart in pieces. Emma was obviously struggling with her world being turned upside down again - and this time it was his fault. He was the one that had been sent to find her, that had been sent to convince her to remember.

He watched as she quietly opened the cupboard door and pulled out two tumblers. She grabbed a particularly ornate bottle of amber liquor from her collection and poured two glasses with a heavy hand, giving one to the pirate.

"If you're here because you need my help, I'm assuming you need this as much as I do."

"You have no idea," he said, her sadness and desperation making its way into his own voice.

He raised his glass to her before tossing down his drink. Emma had become quite the connoisseur, he thought, as the rum went down easy and smooth, immediately warming him.

He reached around Emma to put his glass on the counter behind her, his arm brushing against her. He hadn't noticed how much space he had closed between the two of them until he realized how close her eyes were to his, how warm her breath felt on his chest. He reached for her cheek and she immediately leaned into the palm of his hand, letting him caress her warm skin.

"I never forgot about you, Emma."

Pain crossed her face as she gently pulled his hand away. "I didn't remember you until today."

"Emma, it's -"

The sound of a key in the apartment door's lock jolted them apart, both reacting by getting as much distance as possible between them before Henry opened the door.

"I'm home, Mom!" he yelled from the hall before stopping to stare at the stranger standing in their kitchen. "Oh, um… Hi, I'm Henry."

Hook turned to Emma to get a cue on what he should do, but the panicked look on her face made him realize she had no idea. "Uh….this is…"

"Killian Jones," Hook said, quickly extending his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Why are you dressed like a pirate?" Well, at least Henry's matter-of-factness was still intact even if his memories had been scrambled.

Emma finally snapped back to reality to throw Hook a lifeline. "He's an artist in SoHo and needs help finding some people so I thought I would take a side job."

"You do the pirate thing well then," Henry told him.

"I appreciate your honesty, lad."

The boy gave him a strange look. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"Deja vu, kid," Emma said quickly. "Go get your homework done, OK?"

Henry grabbed his bag and said a quick goodbye before heading to his room. And once again, a silence fell between Emma and Hook, one he could tell was filled with questions and concerns and emotions.

Emma finally broke the quiet, but her voice was soft and heavy. "Do we still have enough potion for Henry?"

"Aye."

"Do we give it to him?" Emma said, looking Hook straight in the eye as she asked.

Hook sighed. This was what he was dreading. "There is much I need to tell you and I don't know where to start."

"Start with my family," she said. "Where do we need to go to help them?"

Hook took a deep breath to get out what he had to say next. "They're in Storybrooke."

Emma stared at him with a look of shock and disbelief as the color began to drain from her face. She had to take a few breaths and steady herself with a hand on the kitchen counter. "My parents? They're in Storybrooke?"

"Aye."

"Storybrooke exists again?"

"Aye. And we need you back there with us."

Something changed in Emma's eyes. Hook recognized it immediately - it was the same change he saw that night on the beach in Neverland when she became their leader on the quest to save her son. This time, it wasn't Henry she needed to save, but the same resolve and determination was there.

"Do you have any way to get back there? Pirate ship or something?"

"Regina gave me a way to get here, but you'll have to take the helm to get us back."

Emma's eyes started looking around the apartment and he could tell she was formulating a plan. She may not have wanted to be their savior again - and it was something he would only tell her much later when this was over - but she was pretty good at it.

"Do you have the rest of the potion?" she asked.

He reached into his vest pocket and put it in her hand without letting it go. "Are you sure you want to give this to him?"

She hesitated before wrapping her fingers around the blue bottle. "Not yet, but I want to have it so I can make that decision when I need to."

He looked into her eyes with as much confidence as he could, making sure she knew that he would stand by her, that they were in this together. "What else do you need from me, Swan?"

"Can you just stay here for a bit? I need to deal with some packing and then Henry," she said. "Not a word to him yet though."

He gave her a reassuring nod. Then Emma flashed him that wicked smile that he missed so much and waved her hand towards the rum. "Get the one with the red label and fill up your flask."

He watched her disappear down the hall, then walked over and grabbed the bottle, thankful that her knowledge of rum now rivaled his own.


	2. Chapter 2

Even though Hook knew most of Henry's memories of New York City weren't real, he still wanted to hear Henry tell them. In fact, most of the drive to Storybrooke was filled with the now teenage boy yammering on in the backseat, entertaining the pirate with his adventures.

"It sounds like you've had a good life with Henry," Hook said after the boy fell asleep.

Emma sighed. "Yea, it was."

"I'm sorry I took you away from that."

"Well, most of it wasn't real anyway, right?" she asked. "But I'm glad you found me."

"You have been missed, Swan."

Hook wondered if he maybe he should have been more specific. Sure, it wasn't just Hook that had missed her, but her parents and her friends too. They just didn't miss her the way he had.

"So," she said, trying to lighten the mood despite the seriousness of the conversation. "How bad is it?"

Hook sighed and looked out the window. "Where do you want me to begin?"

"With Henry," Emma answered. "Is Regina OK?"

Hook's eyebrows went up. "Well, she's still alive if that's what you're asking. But she's not the mayor, and we think Pan's curse still won't allow her to see Henry yet. Other than that, she's her usual cheerful self," he answered sarcastically.

Emma took a breath and hesitated. "And Neal?" she asked.

"Ah yes, Baelfire. Well, he's still alive but barely."

Emma face immediately looked concerned. "What happened?"

"Well, Neal believed he wasn't a good candidate to help find you and Henry because, apparently, he was the reason you went to jail," Hook explained. "Needless to say, tempers flared and Charming and I were about to pummel him, but your mother got there first."

"What?"

Hook couldn't help but smirk at the memory. "She knocked him out cold. Your mother is quite the spitfire, Swan!"

Emma quietly laughed from the driver's seat. "You know, that's not the first time she's done that."

"Aye. Charming told me about the time he ended up on the wrong side of her hand."

"True love's kiss! Apparently, it didn't work because she had amnesia." Emma paused, her words hanging heavy in the air. "Did he not tell you about that?"

"He did," Hook replied curtly.

"And you tried it anyway?"

"Aye."

"And David knew I wouldn't take kindly to it?"

Oh, Charming had warned him. Many times. "I don't know what you are talking about, love," he said, arching an eyebrow in her direction.

"You got what you deserved," she said back teasingly.

He laughed. "I expected to be punched, I'll give you that. I just didn't anticipate you going after my nether region."

"That was your fault, pirate. I can't help it if you were distracted by my beauty and my flannel pajamas," she said with a smirk.

"Perhaps you're right," he said.

An awkwardness suddenly filled the car. Hook had tried to match her playfulness, but his answer came out more sincere than he had wanted. Why did he say it to her like that? He wished he could tell her that he didn't see what she was wearing or think about how she looked when she opened the door. He just saw...her.

He looked aimlessly out of his window, trying to think of something - anything - to lighten the mood again. But it was Emma's voice that dragged him back into reality.

"Hook, I'm...I wanted -"

"Stop."

"But I'm just trying to tell you -"

"No, stop! Now! Stop this! This thing!"

Emma slammed on the brakes, making both of them lurch forward in their seats as Henry quickly sat up in the backseat. "What is wrong with you?!" she yelled at him.

Hook just gestured out the window with his fake hand. Welcome to Storybrooke.

Emma stared out the window for awhile, trying to process the idea that this little fairy tale town was back. "Well, let's get this over with," she said, putting her foot back on the gas.

"Stop, Emma!" Hook yelled again from the front seat. "We can't."

She looked at him like he lost his mind.

Hook took a breath to think through the bizarre explanation he was about to give. "The new mayor...her monkeys are watching all the roads so they can report back to her on the movements of her constituents."

Emma gave him a quizzical look. "I think you mean 'lackeys'."

"No, love, I mean monkeys," he explained. "Before her goons took over your beloved sheriff's department, they were actual flying monkeys in the Enchanted Forest."

"Flying monkeys?" she asked. "The new mayor is the Wicked Witch of the West?"

Hook smiled sarcastically. "Aye. Your family and friends were indeed brought back to your realm by a wicked green witch."

Henry piped up from the backseat. "So you think you're a pirate and you needed my mom's help to find the Wicked Witch from Oz. Do you also have a peg leg or a hook for a hand or something?"

"No peg leg, lad."

"Out of the car, pirate!" Emma yelled sternly, scaring Hook a bit in the process.

She started pacing in front of the car, the headlights shining on the blonde hair and red jacket that Hook has missed dearly.

"Was the peg leg too much?" the pirate asked, trying to lighten the mood. He only got a stern look from his driver, making his heart flutter a bit before feeling bad for joking when she was trying to be serious. "Sorry, love."

She leaned against the hood of her car. "So what do we do now?"

Hook waved his fake hand towards a clearing several yards back. "Charming found a hiding space for your vehicle a few months ago. We can stash it there and hike to Storybrooke using the woods as cover." He turned back to her. "We need to keep you and Henry away from the mayor for now, so until we can ensure it's safe we have to hide you two on the Jolly Roger."

She took a deep breath and stuffed her hands in her pockets. Then she grabbed the blue bottle out of her coat. "Henry won't be safe if I keep him in the dark, will he?"

Hook didn't want to be making decisions about the boy's future, but he also didn't want to sugar coat the reality they were about to face. "It may be better if he knows, Emma."

She nodded, knowing what she needed to do. "Let's hide the car first and start walking. When we get to the ship, can you give me some time with him?"

Hook simply nodded, giving her a reassurance that she was making the right decision.

Emma pushed herself off the car and took a deep breath, her resolve coming back to her. "You ready to do this, mate?"

Hook smiled. He would never tell Emma this - ever - but he would do whatever she asked if her request had an affectionate "mate" at the end of it like that one.


	3. Chapter 3

Hook was worried about the trek in, but the witch's goons never bothered the three of them. Apparently, they were still afraid of the secrets the forest held at night after a run-in with some lingering magic. For once, he was thankful Rumpelstiltskin had left a few tricks behind that worked even after the Dark One had disappeared.

Hook quietly led Emma and Henry to the Jolly Roger, delighting in Henry's awe of his ship when the boy saw it for the first time - again. After climbing on board, the pirate directed them to head to his quarters, thinking it would give the mother and son some space and privacy for what Henry was about to face.

"Captain's quarters?" Emma asked. "I don't think so."

Hook gave her a playful look. "I can assure you, Lady Swan, that everything is in order and will be to your liking."

Emma gave him a deadly stare. "Unless you performed some sort of exorcism to cleanse that place of whatever was there before - and you know what I mean," she said, pausing to give him a knowing look, "we'll head down to the crew quarters."

"Mom, I'm 13 now," Henry pointed out. "If he's a pirate, I promise I won't be scandalized by whatever he has in his quarters."

Even in the moonlight, Hook could see Emma's cheeks turning red as he tried to suppress his own laughter. "First, you don't know everything about...that. And second, it's not what I meant, kid." She quickly put her hand on his back to direct him below, leaving Hook alone but amused on the deck his dearly missed vessel.

The pirate busied himself on board, giving the ship a once over to make sure everything was in place after he had left her weeks ago to finally find Emma. Luckily, Charming had stuck to his word and made sure his ship was tended to while her owner was gone.

He made his way down the stairs to his quarters only to find Emma was already there, her back to the door as she peered out the windows towards the main street in Storybrooke.

"It all seems so calm and peaceful."

"For now," he said before taking his leather coat off and hanging it up nearby. "How did the boy take the news?"

"Surprisingly, better than I had expected," she replied, turning towards him. The lantern she had lit on his table reflected the weariness on her face. "Um...thank you, by the way. I found his book on your desk in there. I think that helped comfort him a bit before he fell asleep."

Hook smiled. "That was your father's doing. He must've put it on board while I was out searching for you."

Emma gave him a questioning look. "How close have you and David become while I've been gone?"

Hook didn't want to bother her with the particulars just yet. The battles they fought together after arriving back in the Enchanted Forest, the plans they worked on to get their Emma home, the late nights at the local pubs trading tales of adventures from happier times. "Let's just say we're mates."

"Mates, eh?" Emma smiled before taking a breath and turning serious again. "Thank you for...whatever you've done for him. And my mother."

Hook nodded, trying to control the blood he could feel flushing his cheeks and his need to touch her, but it was to no avail. He stepped closer to Emma and grabbed her hand. "You have to know I did it all for you."

"Hook, I -"

He couldn't let her finish. She was too close and the impulse too strong. He kissed her gently, tasting the sweetness of her soft lips against his. It was so much different than their intense kiss in Neverland. It was slow and deliberate as he tried to make sure he remembered every touch and every sound from this one. And as she kissed him back, he felt her hand on his chest begin to burn his skin with the warmth coming from her fingers. His head began to spin and he had to reluctantly pull away, the long hours awake and desperate need for her finally making him too weary to even stand in her presence.

He parted to catch his breath but stayed close, resting his forehead on hers so he could still feel her warmth on his face. "Let's get you to bed, love."

Emma gave him a knowing glance. "Do you ever tire of the innuendos?"

"My remark is totally innocent," he said, before lowering his voice. "Because when I finally take you in my bed - and have no doubt that I will - I promise to have the energy to keep you up all night."

Emma gave him a devilish smile. "We'll see, captain. Until then," she said, stepping away from him, "I'm going to sleep."

Hook watched her unzip her jacket and hang it over the back of a chair before taking off her boots and climbing into his bed.

"Good night, Swan," he said quietly before moving towards the door.

Emma snuggled under the covers, looking like that's exactly where she belonged. "Where are you going?" she said, trying but failing to fight off a yawn.

"Crew quarters," he responded, turning back to the door.

"Just stay with me tonight," she quietly instructed.

He considered protesting but didn't put much effort into the thought. Instead, he pulled off his boots and removed his vest, putting both of them away. Then he took off his hook, making sure it was still within reach if he required it. He crawled into bed next to her, feeling the warmth of her body on his chest, and Emma quietly grabbed his hookless arm, draping it over her waist before closing her eyes.

The last thing Hook remembered was the smell of her hair before he fell asleep. He would deal with the monsters outside tomorrow. Tonight, he only belonged to Emma.


End file.
